getting sled ready for summer

[Mallard1]

First time sled owner here. 1999 polaris air cooled trail sled.any tips to get it ready for summer? I will grease the sled, and stabilize fuel, is it necesarry to fog the cylinders?any other tips?

[Tyler23]

ive had bad luck fogging the cylinders. i just give it a good cleaning, grease, sea-foam, cap the intake and exhaust off, and a good once over to make sure everything is good.

[knoppers]

I always fog the cylinders, never had any problems with any sleds that I have owned for 20 years. the fogging puts oil on the crank bearings, so they don't rust. I will take most of the fuel out, then add stabil to the remaining gas, then make sure to run your sled to get that into the lines, and carb bowls. always tape off the exaust, to keep the critters out. put some moth balls around it, and done.

[Mallard1]

Thanks knoppers, & Tyler 23..I appreciate your feedback...

[benelli_dude2002]

I do the same as knoppers. i been fogging my engine and adding stabil, and greasing all the inserts. always a good idea to tape off your exhaust cuz it would suck to have a critter build a nest in there over the summer. i always take the my sled to the dealer ( 2 blocks away) in the fall for a pre-season service and let them go thru it before I do any riding.

[opsirc]

weather storing for the sumer or winter, I have always just added sea foam or stabil to the gas and ran for a while. never had any problems. I have heard of problems with fogging the cylinders.

[BoxMN]

Do any of you spray the engine (outside) with wd40 to help keep any corrosion down? I.e. heads, exhaust, wheels, bearings, etc...

My neighbor does that to his, and his looks pretty much like new and it is an 99. Just wondering, this is my first year with sleds. Thanks.

[Scott Stein]

I have heard of problems with fogging the cylinders.

Ya the guy who works on ours said he has had problems fogging too. Said that when you start it up in the fall,more than likely you'll go through a few sets of plugs because of all the oil in the crank. I've always stabil'd mine and have never had any problems.

[311Hemi]

To each their own...but I fog all my engines before putting them away for a season. Never had one problem because of it.

A fouled plug (which I have never experienced) is much easier to repair than bad crank bearings and other engine internals that can corrode if you don't do it.

I am surprised to read of so many who don't, especially if your sled is stored in a location that temps vary a lot day to day or week to week!

[ChuckN]

I drain most of the fuel from the tank for summer storage. Add stabil and run the engine long enough to get the stabil into the fuel system and into the engine.

I then fog the engine through the carb intakes (not EFI motors!) while the engine is running until it dies, and then I fog the cylinders at the end. I go overkill. Do it all all my 2 stroke motors. Never fouled a plug, never had any issues whatsoever for I don't know how many years...

They always start coming out of storage.

The last thing you want to do is have rust form anywhere inside the cylinders or crankcase! It can happen.

[311Hemi]

I then fog the engine through the carb intakes (not EFI motors!) while the engine is running until it dies, and then I fog the cylinders at the end. I go overkill. Do it all all my 2 stroke motors. Never fouled a plug, never had any issues whatsoever for I don't know how many years...

They always start coming out of storage.

The last thing you want to do is have rust form anywhere inside the cylinders or crankcase! It can happen.

This is what I do also for fogging.

The only thing I do differently is I fill the tank to the top and use seafoam. I then run it for a number of minutes to get the treated gas through all the lines and then top it off again and put the sled away. I do this so there is little to no room for moisture to gather inside the tank and mess up the gas.

[ScottsShopInHawl]

Humidity and furry critters are the main things to look out for. I've had many engines get overtaken by furry critters in the intake, exhaust and on in to the tops of the pistons. They don't seem to mind living and peeing in the same place and that urine will eat any of the materials inside whether it's rubber, aluminum, steel or brass. They think wiring makes a good nest too. I've chased many families out of mufflers and intakes (don't tell PETA!) Poison them suckers if you don't have pets that can get the dead ones or in to the poisons.

Basically regular 2 stroke or fogging oil is good for not rusting or corroding the innards. There is more to go wrong on the bottom end then the top end. If it's running before you store it, choking it until it quits with fogging oil is good because it washes the fuel/ethanol off the seals and that's good because vintage rubber seals and labyrinth seals weren't made for todays fuel and will get gummy and deteriorate.

If you can store them in a dry place with a fairly constant temperature to avoid condensation and turn them over every now and then you should be OK!

[311Hemi]

If you can store them in a dry place with a fairly constant temperature to avoid condensation and turn them over every now and then you should be OK!

Good point. If you don't fog you should be starting them multiple tie throughout the summer and getting them up to operating temp to help burn away any moisture and to get the internal covered again in lube.

[knoppers]

very strange thing happened to me today. I was putting the sled away for the year, doing all my normal steps, I went to fog the cylinders, since I have EFI, I pulled two of the four plugs off, (my F8 has two plugs per cylinder) sprayed in the fogging oil, then pulled the recoil a few times to run the oil through without the plugs in, and the thing poped! it backfired out the exuast, and the the ignition was off, the key not in the ignition, and the kill switch off. that was a first, I couldn't understand what happened. the only thing that must have happened, is there must have been a spark from the piston moving.

I sprayed some more in, then pulled it over a few more times, and all was fine.

[benelli_dude2002]

i have EFI also and never had any issues when fogging my engine. i didnt put my sled away yet. might get out one more time next weekend.

[Uncle Bill]

I agree with all the above including fogging.

Can't believe some don't fog, but do what you want.

Also raise the rear and front suspension off the ground.

one more thing. I stored with less than 1/4 tank of fuel last year. That left a portion of the fuel line in the tank exposed to the elements. Well, come riding season, the fuel line broke. Can't be sure, but was told that is because it (the fuel line) dried out. Will be storing with 1/2 tank or more from now on.

And one more, leave the rubber hood latches unhooked. They will stay "rubbery" and last longer.

[Macgyver55]

I've never fogged a sled in all the years I've owned them. Bought my first one used in 1973, and all new ones since then.

My last sled had over 14,000 miles on it when I sold it and my present Renegade just turned 9100 the last time out this season. Nothing wrong with fogging, and it works fine for those who put them away and let them sit until the next winter. I generally wheel mine out a couple times over the summer and run it, spin the track a bit, move the grease and gear lube around and circulate the coolant and keep everything ready to go. That way when the first snow falls I can pull the rope and go without any hesitation.

[hanson]

I might be the unluckiest guy in history but I had a motor seize on me over the summer because I didn't fog the motor. It was my '02 ZR600 EFI.

I ended up in a battle with my extended warranty company over what what caused the issue and was eventually able to get them to pay for the repairs. I have the bill and it was nearly 3/4 the amount I bought the sled for new.

There was so much rust in the engine that they thought I had submerged the sled and that hadn't happened at all!

Rebuilt crankshaft, new rods, new pistons, new rings, new bearings, new gaskets, new cylinders, new heads, etc, etc plus labor charges. Not funny is all I can say!

I will never let a sled sit over summer now without fogging the motor. If under warranty of any kind, have the dealer do it for you so you have the documentation, this would have helped me out with my warranty for sure!

[TimR]

Unless you get your engine hot enough to boil off any moisture, you are providing a source of moisture that eventually will form small pools in the crank bearings. Crank bearings rust/pit, and spin a race.

You might be getting lucky, but this "start it up for a few minutes" in the summer business causes more problems than it solves.

Tim

I've never fogged a sled in all the years I've owned them. Bought my first one used in 1973, and all new ones since then.

My last sled had over 14,000 miles on it when I sold it and my present Renegade just turned 9100 the last time out this season. Nothing wrong with fogging, and it works fine for those who put them away and let them sit until the next winter. I generally wheel mine out a couple times over the summer and run it, spin the track a bit, move the grease and gear lube around and circulate the coolant and keep everything ready to go. That way when the first snow falls I can pull the rope and go without any hesitation.

[Tyler23]

ive never fogged mine either. i run mine atleast once a month also and it works fine for me. never had a problem with that?

[Tyler23]

is fogging the best idea? mine sits in a completely enclosed shop if that means anything?

[Macgyver55]

Unless you get your engine hot enough to boil off any moisture, you are providing a source of moisture that eventually will form small pools in the crank bearings. Crank bearings rust/pit, and spin a race.

You might be getting lucky, but this "start it up for a few minutes" in the summer business causes more problems than it solves.

Tim

As I said in my post, if you intend to store it away and leave it sit until winter there is nothing wrong with fogging. For the record I DO fog my outboard motors, because once they are put away they are not started until spring.

I was simply telling what has "luckily" worked for me on my other motors. After 33 years as a mechanic, my experience tells me that what I am doing is what is right for me, but probably not everyone. I prefer to have all of my toys ready to go at all times, and by doing it this way, it has afforded me that ability.

I personally have never had a bottom end failure in 36 years of ATV, snowmobile and high performance car ownership.

[hanson]

I had never fogged a sled motor before either until the seizure happened, probably 10 years of sleds sitting in the garage over summer.

What my experience tought me was if you have any kind of warranty on the sled, pay a dealer to do it for you. You'll then have documentation of the summerization that the warranty companies will be looking for.

[Black_Bay]

One factor with rust is the oil that was used. My buddies and I have found tearing down motors is that certain oils will cling to metal while others eventually run off.

[Tyler23]

are you saying the cheap oils like to cling on to things? i run amsoil intercepter synthetic hoping that it keeps everything clean. idk about all that but i do realize it smokes alot less.